IU,   6      ;  fr  *LTJ 


U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE, 
STATES  RELATIONS  SERVIC3 


A.  C.  TRUE,  Director. 


HOW    TEACHERS    MAY    USE    FARMERS'    BULLETIN    743, 
THE  FEEDING  OF  DAIRY  COWS. 

Range  of  use. — All  districts  in  which  dairying  is  of  any  impor- 
tance. 

Relation  to  the  course  of  study. — The  bulletin  will  assist  in  the 
study  of  animal  husbandry,  especially  in  dairy  practice,  in  the  course 
in  agriculture,  and  suggests  suitable  correlations  with  other  school 
branches. 

Topics. — The  following  grouping  of  topics  is  suggested  for  school 
use:  A.  Fall  and  winter  lessons;  (1)  the  need  of  liberal  feeding, 
pages  1-3;  (2)  succulent  feed,  silage,  and  roots,  page  9;  roughage, 
page  10;  (3)  the  balanced  ration,  pages  11  and  12;  (4)  nutritive 
value,  etc.,  of  grains  and  concentrates,  pages  13-17;  (5)  rules  for 
making  grain  mixtures,  pages  18,  19;  (6)  selection  of  sample  grain 
mixtures  for  local  use,  pages  19-2*^:  (7)  amount  of  roughage  and 
grain,  allowances  for  individual  cow.  pages  22,  23.  B.  Spring  les- 
sons; (8)  pasturage,  pages  3.  4;  (9)  supplements  to  pasture,  grain, 
soiling  crops,  summer  silo,  pages  5-8.  In  a  brief  course  this  may 
be  covered  in  a  very  few  lessons,  but  in  a  more  extended  course  each 
subdivision  suggests  more  intensive  study  with  home  practice.  In 
this  case  the  questions  which  follow  will  lead  to  the  use  of  bulletins 
published  by  the  experiment  stations  of  the  respective  States,  also 
texts  on  feeds  and  feeding. 

Study  questions. — What  is  a  maintenance  ration?  What  does  the 
maintenance  ration  accomplish?  To  what  extent  should  the  ration 
be  increased  beyond  the  maintenance  ration?  In  winter  feeding, 
what  factors  must  be  considered  \  Why  are  home-grown  feeds  gen- 
erally desirable?  Give  examples  of  roughage,  succulent  foods,  and 
concentrates  for  winter  use.  Which  of  these  may  be  grown  in  this 
district?  What  are  the  relative  advantages  of  silage  and  roots? 
Why  can  not  the  entire  ration  be  made  of  roughage?  What  advan- 
tages has  the  leguminous  hay  over  timothy  hay  or  corn  fodder? 
What  is  meant  by  the  term  "  balanced  ration  r'  ?  Why  is  this  balance 
important?  To  what  extent  should  cost  determine  the  ration? 
Which  of  the  concentrates  described  are  suited  to  local  use?  How 
may  a  grain  mixture  be  compounded?  Select  grain  mixtures  for 
use  with  high,  low,  and  medium  protein  roughages  which  might  be 
obtained  in  the   district.     What  economy   is  there  in  using  high- 

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UNIVERSITY  OF  FLORIDA 

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protein  roughages?  How  much  of  roughage  and  of  grain  should 
be  fed  to  a  cow?  Why  is  an  abundance  of  pure  water  necessary? 
How  secured  (  How  salt  the  cows  ?  What  is  the  value  of  pasturage  ? 
What  supplements  to  pasturage  are  profitable?  Discuss  the  relative 
value  of  grain,  soiling  crops,  and  summer  silage  as  pasture  supple- 
ments. 

Illustrative  material. — The  pupils  should  collect  samples  of  all  the 
home-grown  feeds  and  all  those  purchased  in  the  district.  Before 
they  leave  the  subject,  have  them  preserve  and  label  these  specimens 
for  the  school  museum.  (See  Farmers'  Bulletins  586  and  606.) 
Have  the  pupils  collect  printed  price  lists  of  grain  and  other  feeds. 
Graphic  charts  of  the  digestible  nutrients  of  the  more  common 
feeds  may  be  copied  from  bulletins. 

Practical  exercises. — Have  as  many  pupils  as  possible  try  weigh- 
ing milk  and  modifying  rations  of  cows  at  home,  in  cooperation  with 
their  parents.  Have  a  survey  made  of  the  dairy  farms  to  include 
such  data  as  amount  of  roughage  grown  on  farm,  amount  of  succu- 
lent feed,  grain  grown,  amount  of  concentrates  purchased,  practice 
in  feeding,  method  of  balancing  rations,  method  to  determine  amount 
of  feed  necessary,  etc.  Some  pupils  who  are  interested  in  dairying 
may  take  up  a  home  project  in  dairying,  weighing  the  milk  of  each 
cow,  computing  rations,  testing  milk,  finding  cost,  income,  and 
profit. 

Correlations. — Have  pupils  compile  the  survey  charts  and  compute 
the  expense  of  rations  in  different  cases.  Use  the  local  prices  for  hay 
and  grain  to  determine  the  cost  of  different  rations  suggested  in  the 
bulletin.  Use  outline  maps  of  the  State  and  of  the  United  States  and 
indicate  the  source  of  feedstuffs  used  in  the  district,  also  the  lines 
of  transportation  used.  Look  up  freight  rates  and  compute  the  rel- 
ative loss  due  to  long  hauls  on  different  feeds,  especially  those  which 
might  be  grown  in  the  district  or  others  which  have  too  low  feeding 
value. 

In  the  physiology  class,  discuss  the  different  digestible  nutrients 
in  various  feeds  which  may  be  used  by  persons  as  well  as  by  cattle* 
Compare  the  demands  of  the  human  system  for  food  with  those  of 
the  cow,  selecting  points  in  which  they  are  similar  and  those  in 
which  they  are  different.  Consult  other  bulletins  on  grain  crops  used 
as  human  food,  such  as  Farmers'  Bulletins  121,  298,  559,  and  565. 

F.  E.  Heald, 
Specialist  in  Agricultural  Education. 

Approved : 

C.  H.  Lane, 

Chief  Specialist  in  Agricultural  Education. 

September  29,  1916. 

WASHINGTON  '.  GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE  \  1916 


